Today we’d like to introduce you to Andrea Caspari.
Hi Andrea, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always loved comedy. My father looked, acted, and sounded just like Rodney Dangerfield. We were always laughing at our house. After he passed away in October 2000, I decided I was finally ready to try and open Mike in July 2001. Stanford and Sons was the big comedy club in Kansas City for many years. I did my first open mic and the bug bit me. I became a high school teacher shortly after that, so I had my little secret identity: I was a schoolteacher by day, and a comedian by night.
The first few years I basically just did open mics and free showcases, but by 2006 or so, I was finally getting paid. The Kansas City Improv opened at Zona, Rosa, and suddenly Stanford and Sons finally had a little competition. I worked at both throughout the years, and I even got married on stage of the Kansas City Improv in 2011! Comedy has always been in my blood, and I loved being able to teach and do comedy. During Covid, the comedy clubs had to close for safety reasons, so we all did a lot of online comedy. In 2022, my friend Devin told me that the social media company Bored Teachers was going to start touring. They made funny videos and memes that I had shared, but I never realized they were going to start a tour. They asked me to join in July 2022, and I never looked back!
I ended up teaching and touring full-time throughout the school year of 2022 to 2023. It was very difficult to keep up with both, so I made the hardest decision: after 20 years, I was going to take a break from teaching so I could tour full-time. This school year I am entering my fourth year out of the classroom. I still substitute teach, but I spend most of my time touring and doing humorous, motivational speaking gigs around the country. Our tour even took it international and I’ve done several tours in Canada, and just got back from Southeast Asia this summer! It’s been a wild ride, and it’s only just begun! I’ve done over 200 theaters and too many clubs to count. So ready to see what the next adventures hold.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I have really enjoyed my time as both a teacher and a comedian, but there have definitely been struggles. It was very hard to balance teaching and going on the road. I was so tired and I had to take assignments to grade while we were on tour. I also had to make sure I had lesson plans for the substitute teachers because I was gone on so many Thursdays and Fridays.
It was very hard to juggle a day job with my nighttime passion project all of those years. I spent over 20 years staying up all night or driving in from long road gigs so I could be up bright and early to teach in the morning. However, I knew I never wanted to give up on comedy. Sometimes I would do gigs that only paid like $25 and a free drink, and I would jokingly say, “thank goodness I’m not paying my bills with comedy!” However, when the tour started, I was able to make enough money to pay my bills. That’s what I knew I had to make a choice. There was just no way I could sustain doing both, and I made that difficult decision to leave the classroom to tour full-time.
It’s so awesome having the flexibility to take on any job anywhere in the world. For example, last year somebody got sick and they asked me to join to do an additional week in Canada, and I was able to say yes right away. I did some laundry and jumped on a plane the next morning. Being self-employed has its challenges, but the true luxury in life is freedom.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Although I love performing in theaters and clubs doing stand-up comedy, one of my favorite gigs in the world is when I am hired to do, humorous, motivational speaking. Quite often I’m hired by schools to come in to do convocation where they pump teachers up for the next school year. I love to teach them how to find the humor in every day scenarios, and I always leave them laughing. I’ve also been hired to do keynote speaking and professional development for schools and colleges. My alma mater, William Woods University, asked me to give their graduation address in May, and they conferred an Honorary Doctorate upon me. I also love doing hosting and emcee gigs. I have a passion for doing benefits and charity dinners, as well.
I pride myself on being able to do clean comedy, which is definitely not easy. I won the Clean Comedy Challenge at the famous Ice House in Pasadena a few years ago. Being clean and funny at the same time can be difficult, but that is definitely my strong suit. I always pretend that my grandma and my boss are in the same audience. If I could make them both laugh, then I know my show is both appropriate and funny for all audiences.
I take the business of being funny and motivational very seriously. I’m always professional, on time, and easy to work with. I make sure to give clients everything they want and more.
What does success mean to you?
I don’t think there’s a true definition of success, because I believe it is different for every individual. For me,, success is when I set a goal, achieve it, and then need to set a new goal to work towards. I have been both lucky and have worked hard, and that is a great combination in life. I think success comes from treating people with respect, because they always remember you. The old saying, “Don’t step on anyone on your way up because you might see them on the way down” is so true. Kansas City has a great comedy scene that has built so much since I started 25 years ago. What people don’t realize is that the comedy world is very small. It’s so important to stay, professional, kind, and humble.
I believe success in my life is defined by the fact that I’m able to do exactly what I want and make a living doing it. Most importantly, I’m able to bring laughter and joy to people who really need it. Whether it’s a group of tired workers at the club or a theater of exhausted teachers, I’m able to lift their spirits and have a good time doing it. As I have said, freedom is the ultimate luxury.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andreacaspari.com
- Instagram: @caspariland
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Nn6zWdzVv/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: @casparilandcomedy
- Other: YouTube: @caspariland
